King Crimson Fractalizes Again

A little King Crimson news for interested parties... The Double Duo has entered the History of King Crimson. Hints as to what The Next Stage might be for Robert Fripp are between sketchy and nonexistent. I know he's considered Tony Levin and Bill Bruford to be members of KC in good standing despite pursuing other opportunities the past several years. But Fripp himself has expressed a declining interest in being a Traveling Musician. Who knows, maybe he'll buy a theater in Branson.

November 21, 2003

All things must pass. And now, for me, life with King Crimson fulfills itself.

I am sending out this letter of thanks to all the people who have made the experience of being part of King Crimson such a powerful and vital one. I am grateful to all the musicians who have I been able to share the stage, the creative process and the long bus rides with: Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Pat Mastelotto, Tony Levin and Bill Bruford. To be able to call these modular, glowing, rock solid, earth shaking and nimble characters my friends and allies has been a constant source of amazement to me...

But most importantly, I am grateful to all the audiences who have supported the work of this band while I have been part of it. People have come to us with open ears and enthusiasm to hear something new. And they have done so even when we were still testing the waters with untried material and ideas. A musician couldn’t ask for anything more.

Earlier this year, at the inevitability of the closing of this phase of my musical life, I spent some time looking back. I thought back to the original aims I had as a young musician. And much to my surprise, I discovered that I have realized them. They were simply and elegantly stated to myself at the time: I want to play with the best musicians on the planet and make the most powerful and unusual music possible. I have done that. And done it with this band: King Crimson. And… I don’t need to just keep on doing it over and over again.

This path has taken ten years (not to mention the previous eight working with Robert Fripp in many other projects.) During my time with the band we have put out 17 CDs, 2 DVDs, and brought to the stage hundreds of performances. Here again, a musician couldn’t ask for more.

Musicians, in general, follow their instincts. Following my own, I have found myself constantly on the move. I have played so many different instruments, and even when I finally found my home on the touch-style string instruments, I still kept moving. From different string configurations to different tunings to different roles as a player. Rarely have I stayed anywhere longer then a year or two. It seems that once I have done something, then I have done it. And all that is left, then, is to drop it and move on to something else...

Trey Gunn
Seattle